Sweater season is in full force right now... actually here in Montreal it is slowly starting to merge into full on winter coat season! Every week, the temperatures drop a bit lower and soon enough we will have our first snow fall!

I can’t believe just how fast time is going by. It feels like it was only a week ago that I was wearing shorts and a tee in my apartment blasting the AC while shooting! Now, forget about the shorts and short sleeve tee! My new best friends are my big cozy socks and knitted sweater ;)

This type of weather has also gotten me craving warm, comforting dishes. I have been loving cooking with lots of squash and pumpkins as well as making steamy cauliflower soups. For breakfast, my personal favorite remains oats! Quick, easy, filling and delicious, they just are the perfect partner to my morning coffee.

However, in the past week, I have been feeling a bit lazy and not really motivated to cook in the morning – even oats that take less than 10 minutes to put together (am I the only one to have periods like that too?).

Anyways this lazy mode got me thinking of a creative way I could avoid having to make a batch of oats every morning and that is how I came up with this Sugar Free Spiced Oatmeal & Quinoa Bake.

This is a perfect meal prep type of dish. Saturday night, you soak your oats and quinoa and on Sunday, you put all the ingredients together, garnish it with fresh fruits and pop it in the oven and TA-DA! Breakfast for an entire week!

This oatmeal bake is naturally sweetened with dates and a touch of blackstrap molasses. It also has a nice richness from coconut milk and a lovely cinnamony flavour that lends itself perfectly for this time of the year.

Enjoy it warm or cold, garnished with more fruits and a drizzle of maple syrup or nut butter & you’ve got yourself a satisfying, healthy and frankly delicious breakfast for all the days of the week!

I hope you guys try to make this recipe at home & that it helps making your morning routine a bit easier and smoother the way it has for me. If you do end up trying this recipe, don’t hesitate to share in on social media and tag me @muriellebanackissa.

Bake for 50 minutes-1hour or until the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is not jiggly anymore.

Enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup and nut butter if desired.

NOTES:* I have also made this recipe using almond milk instead of coconut milk and it worked beautifully well too. The bake will not be as rich and you will have it to cook a bit longer, but I promise you will still love it!** If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can also use a large glass or ceramic baking dish.